Animal I have Become
by Zarayna
Summary: Nidhiki has made his choice, he has joined the Dark hunters. Yet through the crimes he commits, he still has a heart, and it bothers him.


_**Animal I have become**_**  
**

...Stelt. That word was one that would wipe a smile from any Toa's face. A bare and ruined island for the most part, it was constantly torn apart by civil war between the dozens of petty warlords who rose and fell as fast as you could blink. A place where only those with the wealth to hire guards to protect them survived for long. A place where Toa never went, having long ago lost hope in stopping all the evil that existed on that island.

...And of course with the constant war came the need for mercenaries and assassins. The need for Dark Hunters. A warlord would give anything for the help of a expert fighter like a Dark Hunter. And they didn't come cheap. And of course, these greedy warlords always resented the high price The Shadowed One charged. But very few refused to pay. After all, the sight of what happened to those who did withhold payment was enough to make them pay. However there were those who were either foolish enough to think that they could ignore The Shadowed One's threats, or those who believed themselves powerful enough to fight the leader of the Dark Hunters. Dathix was of the latter type. He had come to power in a unique way. By assassinating about a half dozen minor warlords, using their money and soldiers. He was among the most powerful people on the entire island. And recently he had hired a Dark Hunter to knock off a young upstart warlord who had attacked and wiped out one of his minor fortresses. The operative sent did his job well, and soon Dathix was in control of his now deceased fellow warlord's wealth and soldiers. However he dismissed the Dark Hunter casually. Telling him that he had no intention of paying. He had been rather nervous upon first telling the operative that, fearing The Shadowed One's wrath. However now, in his home, surrounded by guards and defenses he felt a lot safer. That was when someone coughed. Dathix shot to his feet, confused. The sound had come from directly in front of him, yet the only people in the room were him and two guards.

_I can't escape this Karz  
So many times I've tried  
But I'm still caged inside  
Somebody get me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself_

..."I see I've gotten your attention, Dathix." The warlord continued looking around, trying to find where the voice was coming from. His two guards, sensing trouble, stepped forwards. All three of them started as a green and silver armored Toa appeared in front of them. Dathix relaxed. It was just some nutty Toa who thought that destroying all evil was his personal job.  
..."Get out of here, Toa," he said disdainfully, acting like the word Toa was a curse. The newcomer smiled behind his Volitak.  
..."I'm sorry, but I'm going to be here for a bit. A pity you won't live to see me depart. The Shadowed One is. Displeased, shall we say, over your insolence. And he sent me to carry out his usual punishment to you. So why don't you start off by dropping any weapons and ordering your guards to stand down? I'll make it painless. But if you resist…" He left the threat unspoken, simply grabbing his scythe from its place on his back. Dathix laughed scornfully.  
..."He sends a Toa for me? The Shadowed One must really be scraping the bottom of the barrel these days!" The Toa smiled. The next instant Dathix was slammed back onto his throne by a powerful blast of air. His guards were swept away by a gale. And the last thing Dethix saw in his life was the grim Volitak of his foe. And then all was black. He had truly paid for his boldness.

* * *

_So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal  
(This animal, this animal)_

...Nidhiki sighed ever so slightly as he walked into the fortress of the Dark Hunters. There were times where he questioned his choice. There were times when the faint shreds of his conscience started yelling at him for the life he led. But he couldn't switch. He couldn't go back. And not only for the fact that The Shadowed one would kill him. He had betrayed his team. He couldn't go back to them. They would hate him. They would shun him. Besides. Life in the Dark Hunters was good. Even The Shadowed One's taunting couldn't phase him. He had a high place in the Dark Hunters, being a combination spy, trainer, and assassin. All three of which he was an expert at. And it wasn't like he was shunned here. He had the closest a Dark Hunter had to friends here and there. But even here, he wasn't at peace. _Wasn't this what I always wanted?_ he asked himself. But deep inside of him he knew the answer. _No._ And he knew it to be true. He would never be happy. Not while he bowed to his greed, his bloodlust. His hatred.

_I can't escape myself  
(I can't escape myself)  
So many times I've lied  
(So many times I've lied)  
But there's still rage inside  
Somebody get me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself_

..."Hey Nidhiki, spacing out _again_?" Nidhiki looked up with a start. Lariska was standing in front of him, waving her hand in front of his Kanohi. His face reddened under his mask as he realized that he had been standing in the middle of the courtyard for the better part of several minutes. Several Dark Hunters in the courtyard started chuckling. Nidhiki glanced casually around, picking out one of the nearest Dark Hunters. A moment later that unlucky individual was slammed into by Nidhiki cartwheeling into him. He leaped into the air and sent a blast of air at the Dark Hunter, felling him like a stone. And Nidhiki walked away, acting like nothing whatsoever had just happened.

* * *

_So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal_

The island of Kanda Nui. Small, peaceful. A few Matoran villages scattered around the island, a small team of Toa keeping the peace. It was a perfect paradise. One of the Toa, a Toa of magnetism named Genak was strolling outside one of the villages, just like he did every day. However today he saw a break in the monotony. A air Toa was jogging towards him. A newcomer. He quickly strode forwards to meet him.  
... "Greetings. And welcome to Kanda Nui," he said. The other Toa inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement. He returned the greeting, and soon they were chatting like old friends. Genak never noticed that his new friend was gradually steering him away from the village. At last the other Toa reached what he had came for.  
... "Whoa, you have a mask of conjuring? I've never seen a great one before in my life!" he exclaimed. Then before Genak could reply, he continued speaking.  
..."Might I have it?" Ganak looked him like he was crazy.  
..."Are you nuts? Why would I give you my Ka-" He got no further. The other Toa slammed his fist into his fellow hero's gut. As Ganak doubled over, he stabbed a dagger into the unfortunate Toa's heartlight. Then the Toa of air snatched up the mask and jogged off.

* * *

_Somebody help me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself  
Somebody wake me from this nightmare  
I can't escape this Karz_

...And once again he strode through the gateway of the Dark Hunter fortress. This time carrying a Kanohi. The mask of conjuring was a very rare mask. And he had been sent to get it from a Toa protecting a random out of the way island. Nidhiki half suspected that The Shadowed One had given him the assignment as a test. Oh well. At least he had passed it. If what he had done was what his master wanted him to do. He shrugged inwardly, remembering to continue walking this time.

* * *

_(This animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal)_

...It was well into the night, yet Nidhiki could not sleep. The memory of what he had done was making his conscience act up worse then before. After all, this was the first time he had killed a Toa. Savagely he dismissed it, knowing that it would only cause him more pain. And finally, he fell into a undisturbed slumber.

_So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal  
(This animal I have become)_


End file.
